Living The Simpler Life: 8 Essentials to Practice Everyday

I had read the book, before I read Sam's bio and realized how young he was! I enjoy reading how he is living example of the principles taught in the book.

The main concept of the book is of course "simplifying your life" a theme I have been reading and putting into practice in my own life this last year.

I feel like Sam has been reading my mind when it comes to many of the concepts he writes about. The idea that "simplicity" is as unique as a grain of sand on a beach is what draws me to Sam and his book.

Sam write about the "8 Simplicity Essentials"

1. Accurate Self-Knowledge
2. Purging the Unnecessary
3. The Willingness to Say "No"
4. A Focus on Conscious Consumption
5. Cultivating Patience
6. Mindfulness
7. A Desire For Less
8. An Attitude of Gratitude

Accurate Self-Knowledge - "Knowing yourself, or self-knowledge, is the simplicity essential that will guide you through this journey." - To me this is always the place to start unless we have a clear understanding of our personal values, motivations and passions we can not make decisions that will create a more satisfying and complete life for ourselves.

Purging the Unnecessary - "Simplification is the process of expelling everything that isn't central to your values in favor of what is." - This is where you get physical, really do you need all that stuff? All those clothes, all those books, all those knickknacks?

The Willingness to Say "No" - " Every choice represents a trade-off and the more you add to your schedule and responsibilities the more trade-offs between quality and time you will face." - Projects, commitments, responsibilities, why do you feel the need to do everything? Where do you draw that line between quantity and quality? Does everything you are doing align with your personal values, if not why are you doing them? We have choices!

A Focus on Conscious Consumption - " When we weigh our decisions against our values, we begin to live a more fulfilling life." Amen brother! To me simplicity is not at all about making this huge sacrifice, it is about making appropriate decisions. Why are we making this decisions to buy? and then are we buying items that align with our values? too many times we are not even thinking when we buy we are acting on impulse or habit, change can be as simple as thinking about a purchase for 24 hours before making a decision.

Cultivating Patience - "Patience manifests itself through increased focus and a calm, measured approach to life." In this amazing time of modern advances we can easily be caught up in the speed of technology. Learning and practicing patience and a calm mind can be a difficult task, you first need to recognize things can be done differently, then you must train your mind to focus nothing. I believe this is learning that should take a lifetime.

Mindfulness - " Mindfulness, by my definition, is the ability to be fully aware in all you do by ignoring the past and future and focusing on the present. This abstract skill is paramount to living a simpler life at all levels." As a beginning runner I was awe struck this first time that I realized I was "in the flow" of running. It was only a few minutes but the only thing I knew was the sound of my feet hitting the ground and the ease in which it came. This is the experience I look for every time I run now. This can be true of MANY activities find the one that creates your mindfulness!

A Desire For Less - "For me, a life of simplicity is a life of richness. Replacing quantity with quality can be applied to almost every aspect of your life, not just possessions." Use everything we have to the fullest, choosing quality over quantity and realizing that "things and stuff" is not what will make you happy.

An Attitude of Gratitude - "I describe gratitude as having an attitude of thankfulness and appreciation. I think the key component of this definition is the word "attitude." I think that often we in North America forget just how awesome we have it. And we do have the power to change things for others once we feeling in our hearts the "attitude of gratitude" will we see how we can easily help others.

"Simplifying your life can be a scary endeavor. Stripping physical and mental complexity uncovers the true person underneath. You'll be worried that you aren't motivated enough, smart enough, tough enough, or unique enough to possibly live a life of simplicity. When that true person is revealed and there is no longer any crutch on which to rely, excuses no longer exist."

An old soul speaking through a rising star, Sam writes with insight that can speak directly to your heart. I am grateful to share this journey with you!

The Power (The Second Part Of "The Secret") Review And The Importance Of, Actually Reading It

If you liked the best-seller book and movie "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne and feel like you did not learn enough from watching the movie and reading the book, and want to INCREASE the knowledge acquired from these sources, then you are going to love this review on "The Power"

I remember when I was a lost Spaniard kid in California (USA for those who live under a rock and don't know where California is) and I came across (I don't know how) the movie "The Secret". I started to watch it and felt engaged. I finished watching it, and started to put into practice everything they said in "The Secret". I was excited! Heck, I had just found out that I could do, be and have anything I wanted! And incredible things started to happen in my life. Furthermore, I started to SEE that the secret is true (and amazing).

I watched and read "The Secret" several times and tried to master it. I loved it! I started to feel better with myself. I started to feel happier. I started to CREATE my path to where I really WANT to be. Now I'm more spiritual than ever before and accomplish more things than ever before. I see WHY I am here and why the world is this way.

And then fortunately, the continuation comes out! It's called "The Power". I see it, check it out... and get it. "It must be great! She wrote everything she learned from "The Secret"!" I thought.

I started to read it and felt engaged again. I finished it in a couple of days! And I can say that "The Power" is more complete and has more content than "The Secret". The bad thing is that there is not a movie yet.

· Rhonda Byrne starts "The Power" with a small introduction of two and a half pages where she tells you that you weren't born to fight, be unhappy and unsuccessful (which I agree), and tells you WHY you really were born for.

· Then the author Rhonda Byrne explains you what the mysterious POWER that brings you happiness and success into your life is.
· Then she talks about the power and frequencies of feelings and explains you how to use the power to have a fulfill life.

I started to read "The Power" just to find out what the power was! I needed to find out because The Secret improved my life A LOT.

As you can see, I think very positively about "The Secret" and "The Power" by Rhonda Byrne because the simple action of READING them and put what I learned into ACTION, with confidence and perseverance, made me GO for my dreams with strength and confidence... and more important, happiness.

Audio Book Rental Is A New And Interesting Concept

The renting of audio books is a relatively new concept. It first started in the seventies through the use of cassette tapes. It has grown in amazing proportions over the past few decades. The idea in the beginning, was to make more much more accessible to busy people, and once businesses caught on, there was a surprising growth of rental outlets. In every town and city, public libraries began offering audio book rental.

Because Of More Demand, More Outlets Are Supplying

The concept actually had to keep up with the theory of supply and demand. As more people began enjoying their favorite books audibly, more companies were needed to keep up with the supply. It was then that such rental companies began to flourish. Then through the help of the internet, numerous sites began to develop and huge masses of internet visitors caused this business become amazingly popular. It allowed people to subscribe and download books which had been made into public domain.

As these companies began, they were only able to offer a few choice selections of recorded books at first. Since it was normally not possible to find good fiction or non-fiction works available, these companies grew like wild fire. A lot can be said of those who may wish to develop this type of online audio book rental business. It can offer people a large range of audio books and tapes, as well as CDs, that can be rented, instead of having to be purchased.

Audio book rental companies may charge their customers differently. From one company to another, the prices and terms of use will differ. This requires that you do comparison shopping before choosing a company that is able to meet your needs. Their costs can differ as well. Other things you may want to consider, are the company's rental time period and return method. There are some companies that will even give you a free trial offer. Consider all these points as you choose a rental company that is good for you.

If you're familiar with renting DVDs, then you will already understand, more or less, what to expect when joining an audio book rental club. It works much the same way. There are also many companies that locate their rental books in important places such as off a main interstate at many travel centers, where people who are traveling, are more likely looking to rent one, instead of purchasing one.

In our modern days of rapid technology, it would be to your advantage to learn more about the concept of listening to books, instead of reading them. Knowing how to rent audio books online is sure to provide many benefits. One main concern with the wonderful availability of renting one, is that you may possibly not have enough time to listen to all you desire. It might be a good idea to download the audio book, and then in a time that is most convenient for you, be able to listen to it.

How To Find An Audio Book To Download

If you happen to be interested in how to find an audio book to download, there is good news for you. It doesn't really matter if you want to choose an audio book download for help with your education or just want to be able to enjoy listening to a great book, there are different options available.

Audio Books For Free Is An Awesome Company

If you are in search of a free audio book download, then this online company is a great help. They are able to offer one of the largest audio book download services that you can find on the internet today. This makes them a good bet in finding what you are looking for and a company that is well worth checking out.

Never mind what subject you're searching for, all book types from classics, modern, adventures, crime, mystery, science fiction, fantasy, martial arts, adult, historical, thrillers, experimental, or comedy, they have them all! Without a doubt, you'll be able to find any audio book download you're looking for at this company.

Want to know what the best part of all of this is? This company offers secure service for their downloads. They are all quick and safe, so you can put your mind at ease and not worry about having to wait a huge amount of time for your download to transfer. This makes it secure so you can enjoy protection and safety during your download and your computer stays safe.

eMusic Has Risen In Popularity

Another excellent site that you may wish to look at, for an audio book download is eMusic. Just so you know, some of their downloads may cost a little, but most of them are free. They have a user friendly website so if you are just a beginner in your computer skills, it will still be easy to find exactly the book you are looking for.

This is another great company that offers all the popular categories. These include biography and memoir, business and economics, children's, classics, drama and poetry, essays, fiction and literature, history, humanities, music and entertainment, politics and current events, radio shows, recreation and lifestyles, sciences, and more. You'll be sure to find many titles that will be of interest to you.

The two websites mentioned are not by far, the only two available. No, as a matter of fact, there will be so many sites, you could spend days trying to choose one. Its always a good idea to take your time and check out the different companies you have to choose from. There may be things you like about one, that others do not offer.

A last word of caution, if you plan on using your credit card to make a purchase, be sure that the site is privacy protected. Do this even before giving out your personal information and credit card number. Its always better to play it safe than to experience a problem, as it could really take the enjoyment out of your audio book listening pleasure.

An Audio Book CD Is Filled With Entertainment

A neat method to unwind and let time pass, is by listening to an audio book on CD. However, this can be a little costly. If you believe you could delight in listening to an audio book, one's well process to try them out prior to purchasing one, is to rent one. By renting one, you can conserve money, and still be able to enjoy listening to one of your preferred books. You are able to find them at numerous video rental stores and also at your local public library.

Great Places To Enjoy An Audio Book CD

Let's say, you are vacationing at the beach this summer, you definitely will want to remember to pack a CD player in your suitcase. Before you head out, browse through your collection and choose your favorites. And as you are spending time enjoying the sunny beach, you'll be able to relax and hear a great narration during your holiday.

While flying to your vacation destination has wonderful benefits, you may find yourself bored. So to help pass the time, you may want to take along an audio book CD with you. This will help keep you entertained and relieve boredom throughout the flight. Then before you know it, you will arrive at your vacation destination.

A long drive to and from work every day, is another fantastic listening opportunity. Just slide in the audio book CD, and instead of getting cross at the other drivers and frustrated by the long lanes of traffic, you can fill your thoughts with the book you've chosen to listen to. Long drives will use up a lot of time, so be sure you have multiple CDs to listen to. Before your trip, you may want to go to your local library and get a few new stories to listen to and enjoy.

Sports minded people, such as runners, will also enjoy listening to audio books on CD. They can be listened to during jogging on trails or running on a treadmill at the gym, and are a wonderful way to distract your body from the pain of exercising. Who knows? You may even go a little further because you didn't want to stop at a good part in the book.

Maybe if you have the right kind of job, you can even possibly listen to your audio book on CD at work. It will really make you enjoy work much more and become a nice way to relax. But before you do this, you better ask your employer so you can be sure it is OK.

An Audio Book Library Provides A World Of Pleasure

A world of pleasure awaits you with the use of audio books. So many people thoroughly enjoy reading, but few actually can read as much as they would like. Reading is a fascinating pastime and has rewards of its own, however, there is also much benefit that can be gained from listening to books as well.

A lot of the joy that comes from listening to it, seems to take us back to the time when we were children. We can actually recapture the joy of closing our eyes and listening while someone reads a story that transports us to another time and place.

It becomes a lot of fun to collect different audio books, and it doesn't have to cost you an arm and a leg for your collection. They can be purchased both new and used, rented, checked out at the library or downloaded. There are also ones that are free of charge.

When a person is a book worm and wants to have a library, most of the time, they purchase books new, as there may be others in their family that reads them as well. Sometimes, people will also purchase books on sale or in used condition. This creates a nice rounded library that they may be proud of. For more zealous readers, it may be more convenient to go to the local library and check out books. The same can also be said of audio books. There are numerous audio libraries scouring the country, where you too, may have the pleasure of checking out a variety of these stories on CD.

Where To Find A Free Audio Book

To begin your search for a free audio book, you may wish to start by looking at your local library. There are also a number of sites on the internet, where you are able to download them for free. All you need to do is type "free audio book" into Google. There will be so many results, including books for sale or rent, and those for free, you'll be simply amazed.

A very helpful organization that provides free public domain audio books is called LibriVox. This company has volunteers who record free ones and publish the files onto the internet. From there they are offered as free downloads. This company has a goal to record all books in the public domain.

There are a variety of free audio books and included in this list, are books for entertainment, books to learn languages, university and educational courses, inspirational books and promotional material as well.

Remember you can turn a monotonous task or an otherwise boring time, into a period of pleasure in your life by listening to one. Start by introducing a free audio book into your world, and you'll soon realize, they need to become a permanent part of your life.